"When Daos created the Celestials with his song, he did not know what notes could be added to give them life. He did not know that without Change there could be no Life. His perfect creations served him, and loved him as much as a creature that did not know love could love. The humans, who were the youngest of all the Children, were the only ones to be created with that knowledge, with the strains of Chaos and change within them.

Yes, the elves and mrem and dwarves could love, but they did so in ways that were learned. They were shown the ways of love and life by the gods. The humans, though... They learned how to change and love on their own. They were not taught. They were perfect imperfections.

"Many, many years passed. Civilizations rose and fell. The elves branched, becoming drow, and woodland, and high. Azhure created thinking beasts and trees. The oceans spewed forth still more Life. And the celestials served the All Father as flawlessly as they always had. They watched the Life on Kythandria thrive and change. One of them, one by the name of Aramhiel, who was the helper of the Muses and the Keeper of Wisdom, learned what Life was. He learned that the secret of Life was Change, and that to Change was to be perfect. "He thought to better serve his Lord and Master All Father, by teaching the celestials the ways of Change, so that they would be more perfect. One by one, he taught the celestials the ways of change. They were by nature inchangable, and could only emulate that which they saw. They could not Feel of their own power, but they could imagine what it would be like to do so. And one by one, the celestials went to the All Father and asked that he grant them the mercy of being Imperfect, so that they could better serve him by Feeling.

"But in order to be Imperfect, they had to give up their immortalitiy. They had to be made Imperfect as the rest had come to be. They had to give up the All Father's love, and leave his presence, in order to better understand him. They agreed.

"One by one, the celestials were lowered from the skies. Some gathered in places of safety against a world they had not been prepared for. Being mortal, they could now experience every emotion, feel every pain and every happiness. For some, it was a worthy price. For love and happiness, those few would experience pain and fatigue.

"For others, it was not.

Some had watched the changes long enough while they waited, to know that they no longer wished to feel the pain. Rithanael heard the pleas of his siblings to return to All Father's side, to again be near their Father's love, to give up the pain for the pleasure of being perfect and lifeless once again. So frightened was he by their screams, the screams of those few for whom life was not what they had hoped, that he refused to go down into the mortal realm.

<Read On....>